


Binding Agreements

by PoisonJack



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Established Relationship, M/M, Programmer Rhys, Tassiter didn't get de-throned by Jack AU, engineer jack, hahaha, the what-if-jack-strangling-Tassiter-was-a-SECOND-assassination-attempt AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-07-29 23:29:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20086990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoisonJack/pseuds/PoisonJack
Summary: Rhys is willing to doanythingif it means staying Jack's execution. And if that means promising to belong to a man like Tassiter, then so be it.Prompt request on tumblr:Definitely jack with 'I don't want to be saved'





	Binding Agreements

**Author's Note:**

> Having fun with some prompt requests woo!

“I got him to agree to let you live,” Rhys reported, holding Jack’s hands in his own through the prison bars, but not looking at him. “He’ll overlook the hacking and assassination attempt and everything. You have to leave Helios, though.”

“That’s all, huh?” Jack said somewhat sarcastically, looking at Rhys with a concerned frown. Jack subconsciously moved one of his hands up to his own ribs, feeling the tenderness from getting the shit beat out of him by Tassiter’s goon squad. No way would he get off with something as simple as just an ass beating for his assassination attempt. “Something like this doesn’t come that cheap. What else, Rhys?” Jack squeezed him with his other hand, and Rhys still couldn’t meet his eyes. “Baby… What else?”

“He… I had to agree to move in with him… To be _his.”_

Jack dropped his hands and angrily turned about his cell. He kicked the stupid Hyperion-branded cot as he tried to reel in his anger. Tassiter was slime, but he didn’t think he would pull something like this. “No. Nuh-uh. I’m not letting you do that, cupcake. Not even for me.”

“Jack--”

“First of all, ew. He’s gross and old and I doubt he’s gotten it up in _decades.”_

Rhys made a disgusted sound, and huffed to himself. Not exactly something he wanted to think about, and definitely not what was important here. 

“Second,” Jack continued, looking into Rhys’ eyes as he finally met his gaze back at the bars, “You are _way_ too gorgeous to waste. And I think he knows I’d get you off Helios the first chance I got if he let me go.”

“No I- I had to promise I wouldn’t escape,” Rhys admitted, the sourness of the plan still leaving a bad taste in his mouth. He closed his eyes a moment before looking back at Jack. “He said he’d kill you if I left. You_ know_ Hyperion is everywhere, Jack.”

“Rhys, no. Just no, kiddo. I’m not letting you do this.”

“I can_ live_ with having to stay with Tassiter, Jack!” Rhys spat, eyes unexpectedly moist. “What I _can’t_ live with is you dying! If it means I can _save _you, then I can do whatever it takes!”

A lump formed in the engineer’s throat and Jack felt his heart clench in his chest. Rhys was way too good for him, and _definitely_ too good to ever be used by someone like Tassiter. “I don’t want to be saved. Not if it means _he _gets to have you,” Jack stubbornly stated, reaching his hands back outside the bars to try and comfort the other man as much as he could. Jack rubbed Rhys’ forearms through with his thumbs. “Don’t think I’m not going down without a fight, but I want you to leave, pumpkin.” Rhys looked stricken. “Helios, I mean. Take the stuff in my sock drawer, get off Helios, and start a new life somewhere.”

“I’m not gonna abandon you, Jack.”

“Don’t worry, cupcake. You know how resourceful I am. Who made half the shit running this station, right?”

“Jack…”

“That’s right, _Jack_.” The smile he gave only made the tears fall from Rhys’ eyes, and Jack reached up to wipe them away with his thumbs. “We’ll figure something out, okay? Something that _doesn’t _end with you giving yourself to that old fart.”

“...this isn’t the time to joke.”

“I’m not joking.” Jack swallowed heavily, feeling his impending doom catching up behind him. He knew he was under surveillance even here, Tassiter taking no risks since the protocol Jack had set up to murder him had gone off just this side of early. If he’d only timed it better, it would be _him _running this space station with Rhys at his side. “I mean, when’s my execution? A few days from now? That’s _plenty_ of opportunity.”

Rhys couldn’t smile even at the forced-levity in Jack’s voice, holding the engineer through the bars as close as he could get. He dug his fingers into the other man’s jacket, trying hard to contain the sobs that kept breaking free. Jack wished there was something he could say, but unless some miracle happened it didn’t look good. 

It was okay though. Even as the guards escorted Rhys from the area. Jack still had a few tricks up his sleeve, and by this time next week, _he_ planned to be the top dog of Hyperion, _not _Tassiter.

...He’d just have to get a single one-on-one meeting to discuss the ‘terms’ of his release. He didn’t need his fancy engineering degree or access to a single echo device to make up for his failed-coded assassination attempt.

No, as long as he had the chain on his watch and his strength didn’t fail him, he’d take matters into his own hands.

**Author's Note:**

> And everything worked out and they overthrew Tassiter and it was happy for EVER dammit D:<
> 
> [my tumblr](http://purge-that-urge-rhackathon.tumblr.com/) | [my fic masterlist archive](http://purge-that-urge-rhackathon.tumblr.com/post/134979026515/poisonjack-ao3-fic-archive) | [my twitter](https://twitter.com/PurgeThatUrge) | [my pillowfort](https://www.pillowfort.io/PoisonJack)
> 
> Please leave kudos and a comment if you enjoyed! ao3 FAQ: [Can I post comments anonymously, or if I don't have an Archive account? ](https://archiveofourown.org/faq/comments-and-kudos?language_id=en#anoncomment)


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